Shock-absorbing device



April 1930- B. F. SEYMOUR I Y 1,755,194

' SHOCK ABSORBING DEVICE Filed Jan. 15, 19 28 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY.

"aflNVgvmR.

April 22, 1930. I BY. FfsamouR SHOCK ABSQRBING DEVICE Fil'ed Jan. 13, 1928 2 shea'tS-sheet 2 WER E III /0 j i I NTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr, 1930 ENJA IN E -SEYMOUR, or wnsnrne'ron; DISTRICT or COLUMBIA *sHocK-ABsoRBfne nnvrcn I fngpl icatio lfi led January 1928. Serial Noil2f1 6 ,4 41.

l ipresentfinventi'on relates to a shock ab 'sorbing device, resilient transmissions, hear- I ings; orthe "like in" gener'aLand particularly I 3 herein is. a'further improvement of the conmy Patent No 1,549,189,

to such devices as appliedlto vehiclefwheels andrconsi'stsFin they combinations and ar -L;

rangements of elementslfhereinafter Idescribed" and particularly set roan inlthe .accompanying claimsfif 1 f I The main purposeof the invention'is to 0 provide a flexibl'eorresilient shock 'absorber and transmission between fa, driving 7 and driven element adapted to positively and uniformly transmit the' driving force from one to theotherv in whateverrelative 'positions the said elementshave'atthe moment; I

and such transmissionbeing capable of read-v ily accommodating itselfto'all working conditions-to {the elements may be subr 'furtherfpurpose off-the.invention'is tOij I provide a combined resilient-transmission line'8I-8 of Figure 7 T and bearingforvehicle'jwheelskto' the end that such: a wheel may possess the desired proper andthe motive power of thevehicle,

while' atthezsame time 'thedevice' serves as I I V showlngia comblnatlon of cone elements and 'ashockabsorber. 1 v u 7' The construction? shown and described struction show-11in of June 2, 19253 The construction here shown is'characten" iz'ed'ith'ereinthat the wheel rim is provided 3 witha cone element Which'is not only eccentric'ally imojuntedthereon but als'o, set ,at: askew-with relation to the axis of the wheel; and this cone element cooperateswith a'cor-s responding conical sleeve which is mounted t slideaXialIy on the wheel hub when the 7 im is subjected to the action f radial, or circumferential force hi Springholds the Parts p ve relation; 7 I

In somein'stances these conditions may be r o' 7 reversed and the axially sliding cone element mounted on the wheel rim'orjits equivalent,

while the corresponding, fixed cone element is attached to the hub member of'the wheel,

The invention is shown byway of ill ustra '50 tion in the accompa-nylng drawing, wherein:

"similar to positioned cone faces;

., ,Figure 1 is a: fragmentaryvertical, axial;

section *taken throu h I the 7 Wheel i a c Figure 2 is a fragmentary front facelviewi l tion; y res 4 and 5 showother modified @on-'- structions' with double acting cones in frag v mentary sectional'views; 1- Figurer6 is a"fragm'entary vertical axial section of a cone construction with obliquely" Figure 7 shows another'modificationiof the invention in fragmentaryverticali section with brake attachment and the sliding cover plate-'and spring c Figure 1 of a modified construe cone element on the; wheel rim fand elliptical a contoury e I V Figure 8 1s a 1 fragmentary sectlon c, along --Figure 9 a fragmentary vertical section with obliquely mountedcone elements with ellipticalface contour; is g I Figure 10 a fragmentary face View and section along line 10- 10 of Figure 9; i

Figure 11 'a' fragmentary vertlcal section" wedges; and, e r D a Figure 12 shows in fragmentary vertical section a construction similar to Figure l'but with the female cone element providedwith a reinforcing bottom flange.

Referring to the parts 1n the reference characters designating. corre-* sponding members in the" several views, 'the" f construction asillustrated in Figures --1" and 2 representsthe preferred form and 'in which further detail; H

erence numeral, 11 the-'outerjside plate or cover, which plates are held together" on the rim 10jby the usualbo1ts'12. These plates have central openings large" enough 'to'pe'r mit radial "displ'acement'of the rimwith re 7 gardto the hub, and the rim plate 9 has radial I sliding contact with the hub flange8} v 7 Around the central opening provided .14 terminates with a turned'back conical flange or operating edge which is set askew or whose axis is inclined with regard to the axis of the hub as clearly shown. A male cone element 16 engages with this operat ing edge and is also set askew on its sleeve 17 which surrounds the hub 7 and is nonrevoluble but slidahly mounted thereon by means of a key or the like; The apex of the cone elements coincides, however, with the hubv axis. r

At the outer or free end of the hub 7 is provided an adjustable collar 18 threaded on the hub and between this. collar and the male cone element 16 isinserted a compression spring 19, the resistance of which may be readily adjusted by means of the collariltsl The purpose of the spring is to hold the cone element 16: tightly pressed againstthe eperatingedge of the female cone element 15.

In this manner the wheel parts will-be held together semi-rigidly; and the device will act as a shock absorber if the wheel rim is. subjected to sudden impact; whenthe operating edge or female cone element 15 will slide up on one side. of the cone element 16 thereby compressing the spring 19 while the rim becomes momentarily eccentric on the hub. As soon as the blow has passed, the parts return to their normal positions.

Likewise, a radial shock on the wheel rim' will displace the parts in the same manner until balance is restored, the shock in each case being gradually absorbed and changed to axially directed forces along the wheel axle.

As a, resilienttransmission the device will operate as follows The torqueof the hub willv cause the male cone element 16 to rotate. The friction between the ground and the rim 10- will resist this rotation which compels the male cone element to turn with relation to the female cone edge 15 which in turn will cause the cone sleeve 17 to slide axiallvon the hub against the pressure of the s. ng- 19'. I When the forces are balanced the rim will revolve with the hub. In this manner the vehicle will have a gradual and very easy start and an even running, as all fluctuations in thetdriving and resisting forces will be evened out by'the resilient, eccentric or skew set elements. v

Referring now to the modified form of the invention shown in Figure 3, this is very similar in action to the just'described construction with the exception that the cooperating cone elements have been reversed. In this case'the rim plate 9 terminates at its. central opening with an eccentric rin 20 having an inner cone shaped surface 21 with its apex on the hub axis but with its axis inclined against the hub axis-.- Cooperating with this eccentric ring is shown a cam disk.

\ 22 the peripheral edge 23 of which engages is to say, that cone elements are provided at.

both ends of-the hub '7. The ring 25 at the central openinggof the rim'plate 9 is here shown with an internal cone surface 26 cccentric as well as inclined to the wheel axis.

Likewise the outer rimplate 11 is provided with a r1ng27 having a simllarcone shaped internal surface 28. Two opposing disks/29 hub? with aspring 19 between them to spread them apart, and'they are guided on the hub by their sleeves 31. The. operation of this incdiiied form will be easily understood from the foregoing.

In Figure 5 the ring 32 secured on the. rim

'platesQand 11-is provided with: an annular cam element 33 also inclined against the axis. of the wheel hub. A pair of opposing, disks 3%, 35 are slidably but nen-revolubly mounted on the hub/Z, while two springs 36,37, tend to press thedisks against theannular cam element 33. V V

T he main difference. between the construction shown in Figure 6 over that shownv in F gure 1. is that thefemale cone face is formed on an attached ring but the operation is identical. The central eccentricring" 38 is secured tothe rim plate 9., butitis made thick enough. to provide a wide bevelled edge 39 which is adapted to engage the straight cone surface 40 of the eccentrically mounted male cone element 41 which, with its sleeve 42, is slidable but non-rev-oluble onthe hub 7 .i

In all the above constructions the slidable cone element has been mounted on the wheel hub. In Figures 7 and 8', on the other hand,.

the male cone element is here shown with its sleeve5l fixedly mounted by means of a key 62 on the wheel hub 7.- Its cone surface 52 has its apex on the axis: of the hub but it is- .otherwise' obliquely situated thereto. To provide a good wearing surface the cone ter- Ininates with a fiange53 which normallyrests v on the flat surface 5l' of the female cone elei ment 55 which is slidably mounted in axial direction in the tubular portion 56 at theinher opening 13 of the rim plate 9. 'The' inner flange 57 of the female cone element 55 conforms to the cone surface 52 of the m ale cone '7 element 50. A'spring contacts at one end with the hub flange 8 and at-the other end with a spring seat or adapter-59 which engages with the back face of the female cone element 55. In this manner the operating ma t;

surfaces. of both cone elements are held in constant contact. a v. V r The sundry parts areassernbled and held 7 together on'the hub 7 betweenthe inner and outer hub flanges 8 and 59 by means of the collar 18 threadedon the hub, and the flanges have radial slidable contact with inner and outer rim plates 9 and 11. This construction is furnished with a brake drum 60 which preferably forms a unit with the hub flange or plate 8 as indicated.

The tubular rim portion 56 and its counter part the tubular flange 61 of the femalecone element 55"are both elliptical as best seen in L Ifigure 8, for the purpose of intensifying pos-,

itlveness of drive.

v Vfhen the device is ex posed'to shocks the female cone element will slide axially'in the .tubularrim portion 56 while 'its'conical flange 57 is displaced along the conical'surface 5320f the male cone element 50 and against the action offthe spring'58. The latter'will subsequently restore the parts into normalposition directly the shocks have subsided; r

In F1gures9 and 10 is shown a construction very similar to that illustratedin Figure 6 and thesame description applies to both in 7 general. Thedifference'between them resides in the fact that'the cone elements n Figure 6 are circular while the cones in the latter are 'elliptlcal. This lS lOGSfi seen m Fig'ure 10 'where the cone elements show an elliptical 1 parts assembled 011 the hub;

' faces'of the wedge plates '68 and 69. outer end'of the drum 67 is provided an annucontour at 63 where they engage.

In Figure 11 is shown a. double acting 0on struction oficone elements and wedgeplates.

The male" cone element 65 is mounted nonrevolubly but axially slidable on the hub 7 l v and the female cone element 66 is hereperma- J nently secured on the insideof the cylindrical drum 67 which forms a unit with the rim plate 9.

At each end of thehub is provided a wedge plate 68 and 69, respectively, which are secured to the end flanges 8 and 7 O non-rotat-' ably-as indicated. The inner opposing surfaces 71 and 72 are set obliquely or at an in-. clination to theaxis of the hub and the corresponding flat end surfaces of the female cone element 66 has the same inclination against the hub axis.

Between thelwedge p1ate69 and the male cone'element 65 is inserted-a compression spring 7 3 which tends to keep the cone surg facesand the flat surfaces respectively of'the cones and the wedges in constant contact.

spirit of the in, ack-as 7 iii astiaue sa ardr the purpose of furnishing easy "sliding contact with the 'outerhub flange 7 O as illustrated The parts have the relative position illustrated in this figure during normal running. When 'a' shock is applied against the wheel, it

will b. e"evident that thewedges-68 and 69 sliding alongithe inclined flat surfaces will enter the pockets 74and75; This will cause the relative displacement of the cone elements 65and 66 and the compression the spring ently'; the spring; restores the partsinto normal position. r

Lastly referring tothemodi'fication oftlie invention asillustrated in Figure 12, this shows a construction very similar to that seen 7 in Figure 1 and has 'a'solid disk for itsmale cone elem'ent' 8 which, as before,isl set ob liquelv to the a xisiof the wheel hub 7 but with the cone apex coinciding therewithy It'is mounted to slide axially without revolving on thethub 7 and is heldi'n" yielding position up by the threaded collar 1 8;]

- A round thecentral opening 13 of the rim plate 9, which has slidablejengagement with thereon by the compression spring 79 backed thehub flange 8, the female cone element-'80 is secured or built as a'funit with therim plate and has the sameconicity as the male" cone;

element 78 with which it engages lThe"fe"- male cone element terminates with an a'nnu-I l ar flange 81, which contacts, with the flat bottom surface 82 of-thema'le 'coiiejelement. 78; This annularf flange'8l is provided for. thepurpose of increasing the strength'ofthfej cone element-and also to give additionaldrivej ing contact and wearing qualities of the parts.

The operation of this modifiedconstruction is 1 similar to that described in connection with Figure 1.

It is to be understood that the inventionis.

not limited to the details of construction here shown and disclosed, but that thesemay be varied widely without departing from the claims.

What I claim as new is:

invention as defined by the 1. In a shock absorber and resilient bear- 3 ing, the combination with-cooperating male and female members adapted to have limited radial movement between them; of a fixed,

ccentric cone'element on one of saidmem. f

bers', a corresponding cone element slidably mounted in axial direction onthe otheroff said members, and resilient means holding the axes of the cooperating faces of saidcone elements being set obliquely to the axis of said membersr 2. Ina vehicle wheel, the combination with a hub member and a wheelmember adapted to" have limited radial movement. between them of a-fixed eccentriccone element on one of said members, a corresponding cone ele ment slidably mounted in axial direction of 1 20. said cone elements in contact with each other, V

the, other of said members,and resilient means holding said cone elements in contact with each other, the axes of the. cooperating faces, of said cone elements. being set; obliquely to the axis of the wheel.

3. In a resilient transmission and bearing" I con truction, a series of cooperatively en gagecl elements comprising a concentric element, an eccentric element in contact there- With, said elements having the axes of their contacting faces set obliquely to the transmission axis, a hubelement, housing elements and resilient means, said housing elements and resilient means being adapted to hold the others of said elements incooperative rela-' tion.

4. In a resilient transmission and bearing, the combination with driving and driven an nuli, of contactingeccentric and concentric elements associated therewith having the axes of their contacting faces set obliquely to the axis of the annuli, oneof said elements mounted axially slidable on one, of said annuli, and resilient means adapted to hold said annuli and said elements in cooperative relation.

5. In a transmission, the combination with revoluble members; oi driving and driven elements having contacting faces, the axes of which are obliquely arranged with relation to, the axis of revolution of said members and resilient. means adapted to hold said elements in cooperative relation In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Denver, Colorado, this 5th day of December, A. D.. nineteen hundred and twenty-seven. r

' BENJAMIN F. SEYMOUR. 

